Railway truck spring brake



A. c. DAVIDSON RAILWAYTRUCK SPRINGBRAKE Filed Sept. 22 1945 Jul 23, 1946.

INVENTOR ARTHUR C. DAVIDSON I /a BY i K F|G.4. 7 z "g '7 Patented July 23 1946 UNITED STATE RAILWAY TRUCK SPRING BRAKE Arthur 0. Davidson, Chicago, Ill. Application September 22, 1943, Serial No. 503,389

The invention relates to the control of railway truck Springs and consists in a spring brake or dampening device and associated structure intended primarily for use in a truck of the type in general use in railway freight cars.

The main object of the invention is to prevent undesirable rebound action of the bolster springs which give the vehicle rough riding characteristics tending to damage lading and to derail the truck.

Another object is to efiect the desired snubbing of the rebound action without substantially interfering with the initial compression action of the springs which should be soft to maintain easy riding qualities of the truck and especially to protect light loads on which 71% of all damage claims paid by railroads are'due to lack of proper snubbing action while cars are in transit.

Another object is to facilitate the installation and replacement of spring brake or snubbing parts which may require renewal.

Another object is to provide friction plate of large surface to resist rapid Wear and insure long life of unit. I

Another object is to provide for the assembly of a spring brake without requiring substantial change and with a minimum amount of work on the associated truck parts.

These and other detail objects of the invention as will appear from the following description are attained by the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure l is a side elevation of a four-wheel truck for railway cars including the novel spring brake device characterizing the present invention.

Figure 2 is a detail vertical section taken on the line 22 of Figure 1 and drawn to a larger scale.

Figure 3 is a similar section showing the parts in a different position.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a detail vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a detail section taken approximately on the line 6-6 of Figure 5.

The truck includes the usual axle-mounted wheels I, journal boxes 2 and side frames 3 which may be integral with the journal boxes or assembled with separately formed journal boxes. Each side frame includes a compression member 4, a tension member 5 and spaced struts or columns 6 cooperating with the middle portions of members 4 and 5 to form a. window 1 10 Claims. (Cl. 267 4) for the bolster 8 and for bolster supporting springs 9 which are supported from the inter-- mediate portion of the tension member 5. Preferably, a spring plank I0 extends between side frames 3 at opposite sides of the truck and a spring seat or carrier II is mounted on each end of spring plank I0. This spring carrier has upstanding lugs I2 and I3 for positioning the trucksprings. A spring cap I4 is mounted on springs 9 and supports the end of bolster 6.

A pair of friction plates I5 are pivotally secured to spring carrier II by an arrangement described in detail below and extends upwardly therefrom and receivesbetween them a friction plate I6 depending from spring cap I4. A bolt I'I disposed horizontally extends through friction plates I5 and 3 being carried by plates I5, and tensioning springs I8 are compressed 'between each end of the bolt and the adjacent plate I5, thus thrusting plates I5 towards each other and clamping plate It between them. Plate I6 has a slot I9 elongated vertically to accommodate relative vertical movement of plate I6 and plates I5 in which the bolt is seated.

Plate I6 is wedge-shaped with its sides converging upwardly so that the friction between the plates during the rebound or expanding movement of bolster springs 9 is substantially greater than the friction offered during compression of springs 9. The amount of friction provided during compression of the springs and during expansion of the springs may be controlled and varied as desired by adjusting the tension on springs I8 and by predetermining the angle of convergence of the sides of plate I6,

It is desirable that the friction plates have pivotal movement to the side frame and bolster with which they are associated. To accommodate this requirement, the upper end of plate I6 is of T section with the lateral arms 20 curved as indicated and cap I4 has similar arcuate lugs'2l cooperating with the underface of the cap to form an elongated recess into which the upper portion of plate I6 may be slid length- 7 resist the upper thrust of plates l5. With this assembly, plates l may pivot about carrier II to accommodate the relative movement of the parts as described above. The single 1 the other plate. l 2. Astructure as des the meansxclampin the plates together comprisestabolt extending substantially horizontally j through the plates and supported by at leastone "of the plates, there being a coil spring between 3 received in a slot 25 provided in the latter. The ends 26 of'bar 24 extend beneath upwardly recessed portions 21 of carrier ll at the ends of slot 25 and the anchoring device is thereby positioned and held in assembled relation with the spring carrier and spring plank and side frame. The body portion 23 of the anchoring device extends upwardly from bar 24 and is recessed laterally at 28 to receive inturned flanges 25 on the lower ends of plates l5 to form a bearing and tension device bolt l1 passing through plates l5 and I6 readily accommodates the relative'tilting of the plates in their general'vertical plane so; that'the bolster, as seen in Figure 1, may'rock relative to the truck [frame to the extent permitted by its fit between the bolster columns 6,

and the friction device .is not subjected to any strain "from such ro cking movement of the .bol-

sterl If desired, the elements of the springxcarrier and spring. cap may be made integral with the spring plank. and therbolster or the parts of the v spring carrier may even be made integral with, the side frame (as in a spring-plankless truck) and, if desired, the anchoring device 23,24 mayv be made integral with the spring .carrier or spring plank or side frame, and other variations in the construction may be made all without departing from-the spirit of the invention. V

What is claimed is:

1. In a devicecf' the class described, a member foriseating'truck .springsxa cap member for sup- 1 porting a truck bolster on the truck springs, a pair of plates extending abreast of each other and substantially .vertically from one of said members and individually 'pivotally secured .thereto, a single plate extending .substantially vertically from the other of said members and pivotally; secured thereto and received "between saidpair pfpl'ates, and spring means yieldingly thrusting the pair of plates towards each' other 1 to frictionally engage the opposing surfaces of cribed in claim 1 in which each end of the "bolt and the adjacent plater 3; A device as described in claim 1 in which 3 the plates and spring means are inclinable as a unit relative to the bolster-supporting cap Fmemberto' accommodate shifting of'a bolster-mounted i on the cap member relative to the spring-seat 1 member without substantial movement of the I plates relative to each other.

4. Adevi ce-as described in claim 1 which the connection between the cap member and-the remainder-of the device includes elements slidable .on eachother horizontally and providin for 1 movement of the cap member, laterally with respect to the remainder of the device withoutsubstantial-m-QVement of the frictionally engaged platesrelative to each other. 7 V

, 5. .A structure as described in claim 1 in which the f-rictionallyengaged-surfaces of the platesdi- Y 4 verge towards the spring seating member, whereby the device offers substantially greater resistance to the movement of the plates during movement of the members away from each other than 5 during movement of the members towards each other.

6. In a railway truck spring brake, a spring carrier, a plurality of coil springs seated on said carrier, a cap member resting onsaid springs and 10 arranged tosupport a truck bolster, said cap member having adepending lug extending across the member transversely of the bolster and substantially at the middle of the member and slotted from one end towards the other end, a friction plate having a head slidably received in said across the carrier in the same general vertical an'd recessed laterally, friction plates having their lower ends flanged and received in the recess in said part, said plates overlapping said first-mentioned friction plate, and yielding means carried on said plates and thrusting them into frictional engagement with each other.

7. In a railway truck spring brake structure,

a spring carrier plate having spaced areas for mounting springs and having an elongated slot between said areas, there being upstandin lugs at the ends of said slot each having an upwardly extending recess in its lower surface opening to- .wards the other lug, a friction deviceanchor member positioned in said slot with its ends received 'in'said recesses, said member, between its ends, extending upwardly above the level of the 5 plate and having laterally opening recesses .for

upright friction plates. 7 y 8,. An anchor for a railway truck spring brake including a spring carrier with laterally and Silo downwardly opening recesses nearopposite sides and an upright friction plate above the ame with a hooked lower end, the anchor -.co1 nprising;an

elongated member with ends receivable in said recesses and arranged between its emigre project above the level of saidv ends and there recessed havin narrow end portions adapted to be received .in said recesses and also having. a downwardly iacingrbar spaced above the levelof said end portion to form an elongated recess open.-

ing inopposite directions to receive the oppositely facing hooked lower ends .of the friction plates.

10. In a railway'truck spring brake structure,

0 a spring carrier plate having spaced areas for mounting springs and havin an elongated slot between said areas, there being upstandinglugs at the ends of said slot each having an upwardly .extendingrecess in its lower surface opcning to- 35 wards the other lug, arfriction device anchor member positionedin saidslot with its ends'pivotally received in .said recesses, and an upright friction plate structure s member. l I E ARTHUR C.1DAVIDS,ON,.1

' slot, there being an upstanding part extendingv Dlane as said depending lug on the cap member receiving horizontal flanges on the lower ends of v laterally to receive the hooked lowerend of the friction plate and anchor the same to the carrier.

ecured to said anchor 

